Pours two shades shy of black with a loose, 1/8th inch, off-white head that quickly dissipates into a dollop of cream and a cluster of bubbles. Nose expresses soft cocoa notes and a hint of something pruney/vinous/raisiny. Taste follows nose; however, it all comes off dull with a bit of ashiness and smoke. The cocoa is more in the background, with the fruitiness more in the foreground. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with a brisk carbonation. Overall, missing the pleasant roasty/cocoa notes associated with the style and substituted with a more ashy/acrid character and some fruity/dunkel notes.

Stopped into the brewpub on 07APR12 after a bit of hiking around the area with Alewife. Opted for a stein of this to slake my thirst. Says it's currently at 5.40% ABV.

Poured a deep, dark brown. The head was a fine layer of beige bubbles, thinning quickly yet leaving some wispy lacing. Had a lightly roasty nose, with some traces of sweetness. A bit of prickle hit the tongue, with the body being about medium overall.

Flavor, too, had some light sweetness, with a hint of caramel before getting into some good roasty bitterness. There was also a subtle smokey character present as it faded into some pleasant floral hoppiness at the finish. Solid and tasty; a good session bier. Prosit!

On tap @ The Farmhouse (Burlington, VT) on 2/19/11. Served in a Weizen glass.

Pours a deep brown/near black (you can just make out some ruby along the bottom) with a ½ finger of mocha colored head. This retains with a thin filmy creaminess that keeps some richness to it and leaves back foamy spotty lacing. The aroma is floral up front but soon gives way to a sharp blend of acrid smoky roast and green smelling citric character. Light notes of cocoa and caramel add an extra touch of sweet tanginess to nose.

The taste has an assertive green citric bitterness that is initially cut by the sweetness of the malts before a second wave of roasted bitterness swoops in to finish this dry and burnt with some leftover lingering citrus notes. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a smooth and crisp feel the whole way through. Maybe just a touch of underlying thickness is present where most of the malt activity here sits but this was pretty easy drinking overall.

Pretty darn solid Schwarzbier here, with just the right amount of well balanced roast and hop character that gave this a crisp and flavorful bite but without being overly aggressive with the bitterness. I will say that the roasted malts here did have an extra bit of a burnt smoky edge to that that really set this apart. Good stuff here from Trapp Family Lodge.